July 2013
Blog 159: Ralph the Douser Busted
Dash to Diamondale
Jan and I and the Kids took a road trip down to the Lansing, Michigan, area to visit Jan’s brother and his awesome spouse. We enjoyed their family lounging around the pool, driving around to see the local sights, and taking a great boat ride down the Grand River.
Busted Ralph
Our friend and fellow camp host, Ralph (aka “Ralph the Douser”), celebrated his birthday this week. Alas, he left his lit birthday cake unattended while he dashed to the toilet just as a couple of tough, by-the-book rangers, Dennis the Duke and Mojo Morgan, drove up. Ralph was cited on the spot, with his $2,500 fine to be taken out of his volunteer salary over 76 months.
This and That
Here are a couple of Lake Michigan shots.
Jan’s Old Signs
Here are two, pretty cool old signs that Jan found and I shot.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks found in the hinterland of Michigan.
See you next week.
Jan and I and the Kids took a road trip down to the Lansing, Michigan, area to visit Jan’s brother and his awesome spouse. We enjoyed their family lounging around the pool, driving around to see the local sights, and taking a great boat ride down the Grand River.
Busted Ralph
Our friend and fellow camp host, Ralph (aka “Ralph the Douser”), celebrated his birthday this week. Alas, he left his lit birthday cake unattended while he dashed to the toilet just as a couple of tough, by-the-book rangers, Dennis the Duke and Mojo Morgan, drove up. Ralph was cited on the spot, with his $2,500 fine to be taken out of his volunteer salary over 76 months.
This and That
Here are a couple of Lake Michigan shots.
Jan’s Old Signs
Here are two, pretty cool old signs that Jan found and I shot.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks found in the hinterland of Michigan.
See you next week.
Blog 158: Dune Fans and Dune Babes
Dune Climb Concert
I rode my bike down to the annual Dune Climb Concert, walked around and took a few pics of this fun event. Check out the attendees!
Quick Trip to Chicago
I took a quick trip to Chicago to work with a great client.
Jan’s Old Signs
Here are two old signs that Jan selected. I shot the Wayside Motel sign, but our good friend, Dee, captured the Dog n Suds.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks.
See you next week.
I rode my bike down to the annual Dune Climb Concert, walked around and took a few pics of this fun event. Check out the attendees!
Quick Trip to Chicago
I took a quick trip to Chicago to work with a great client.
Jan’s Old Signs
Here are two old signs that Jan selected. I shot the Wayside Motel sign, but our good friend, Dee, captured the Dog n Suds.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks.
See you next week.
Blog 157: Morsi Moment and Cool Old Boats
Quick Trip to Amsterdam
I took a quick trip to Amsterdam to run a workshop for a software client of mine. Great people and a lot of fun. My hotel and their office were both out by the airport, but I took a half-day upon my arrival to visit downtown Amsterdam. After a lousy spring, the weather had finally warmed up in The Netherlands, and it seemed like everyone within 100 miles was on bicycles or in boats or cars enjoying the weather. The light from the bright sun was quite harsh, but I took a few pics anyway (several I “enhanced” post-processing).
Morsi Moment
At Dam Square there was an interesting rally in favor of putting the recent Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, back in power. It drew a large crowd and some heated debates within the gathering, but after several minutes of listening to rants and chants, most of the crowd dissipated without physical conflict.
Canal Cruise
Along with a global cross-section of humanity, I took a canal cruise of the city called the “Venice of the North.” It was a nice water stroll of some interesting areas of the city and its Dutch-style architecture. Here are pics of two of my fellow travelers and some views from the water.
My favorite part of the cruise was the wonderful old boats, both anchored and under power.
Seeing Old Friends
What topped off the whole trip, though, was the chance to have a pleasant dinner with Ger and Ellie, two longtime friends who were once fellow Pine Islanders. Seated directly alongside the Amstel River, in a quiet country berg, we caught up on the past few years.
Back at the Bear
Sunrise on the Beach
Back at Sleeping Bear, I got up before sunrise to admire the dawn skies and relax in the quiet of gentle wind and gentle waves. Here is one shot just at sunrise.
Colorful Towels
Walking back to our campsite, I ran across four sites flying the flags of a day spent on the beach.
This and That
Here is a shot of the Perfect Lap Pup, our camp host sign, and a pickup load of happy campers excited about their visit.
Jan’s Old Signs
Here are two old signs that Jan selected and I shot.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks.
See you next week.
I took a quick trip to Amsterdam to run a workshop for a software client of mine. Great people and a lot of fun. My hotel and their office were both out by the airport, but I took a half-day upon my arrival to visit downtown Amsterdam. After a lousy spring, the weather had finally warmed up in The Netherlands, and it seemed like everyone within 100 miles was on bicycles or in boats or cars enjoying the weather. The light from the bright sun was quite harsh, but I took a few pics anyway (several I “enhanced” post-processing).
Morsi Moment
At Dam Square there was an interesting rally in favor of putting the recent Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, back in power. It drew a large crowd and some heated debates within the gathering, but after several minutes of listening to rants and chants, most of the crowd dissipated without physical conflict.
Canal Cruise
Along with a global cross-section of humanity, I took a canal cruise of the city called the “Venice of the North.” It was a nice water stroll of some interesting areas of the city and its Dutch-style architecture. Here are pics of two of my fellow travelers and some views from the water.
My favorite part of the cruise was the wonderful old boats, both anchored and under power.
Seeing Old Friends
What topped off the whole trip, though, was the chance to have a pleasant dinner with Ger and Ellie, two longtime friends who were once fellow Pine Islanders. Seated directly alongside the Amstel River, in a quiet country berg, we caught up on the past few years.
Back at the Bear
Sunrise on the Beach
Back at Sleeping Bear, I got up before sunrise to admire the dawn skies and relax in the quiet of gentle wind and gentle waves. Here is one shot just at sunrise.
Colorful Towels
Walking back to our campsite, I ran across four sites flying the flags of a day spent on the beach.
This and That
Here is a shot of the Perfect Lap Pup, our camp host sign, and a pickup load of happy campers excited about their visit.
Jan’s Old Signs
Here are two old signs that Jan selected and I shot.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks.
See you next week.
Blog 156: Park Art and Parade Pups
A few showers during the week, but warm weather, light breezes, and happy campers.
Greystone Gardens
We stopped off at this farm called Greystone Gardens, and wandered through the greenhouses enjoying the colors and smells of flowers in full bloom.
July 4th Parade
The Annual Glenn Arbor Parade went right by the entrance of our Park and we joined hundreds of others sitting and standing alongside the road. I was impressed by the quantity of entrants, the infectious enthusiasm, and the sheer poundage of candy tossed out. It was the only parade I have ever been to where one float distributed cherries and another threw out hot dogs! There was one old truck in the parade and it is shown below in the Old Truck grouping. Here is a parade pup, a couple cool trucks, a Woody, and a quite attractive fivesome.
Art in the Park
Every Friday morning, our friend, Marj, puts on an arts-and-crafts workshop for the little tykes in the campground. Here are a couple of participant pics.
Morning Hikes
I did just two hikes this week, Cottonwood and Alligator Trail.
This and That
Here is a shot of abandoned sandals on the beach, the old Canning Company at Glen Haven, two redheads (Janny took this fun shot), and a chipper enjoying leftover Cheerios at a camp site.
Jan’s Old Signs
Here are two old signs that Jan selected and I shot.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks.
See you next week.
Greystone Gardens
We stopped off at this farm called Greystone Gardens, and wandered through the greenhouses enjoying the colors and smells of flowers in full bloom.
July 4th Parade
The Annual Glenn Arbor Parade went right by the entrance of our Park and we joined hundreds of others sitting and standing alongside the road. I was impressed by the quantity of entrants, the infectious enthusiasm, and the sheer poundage of candy tossed out. It was the only parade I have ever been to where one float distributed cherries and another threw out hot dogs! There was one old truck in the parade and it is shown below in the Old Truck grouping. Here is a parade pup, a couple cool trucks, a Woody, and a quite attractive fivesome.
Art in the Park
Every Friday morning, our friend, Marj, puts on an arts-and-crafts workshop for the little tykes in the campground. Here are a couple of participant pics.
Morning Hikes
I did just two hikes this week, Cottonwood and Alligator Trail.
This and That
Here is a shot of abandoned sandals on the beach, the old Canning Company at Glen Haven, two redheads (Janny took this fun shot), and a chipper enjoying leftover Cheerios at a camp site.
Jan’s Old Signs
Here are two old signs that Jan selected and I shot.
Old Trucks
Here are three old trucks.
See you next week.